sportskeeda
ADRIAN LEWIS will not receive any special privileges or wildcards after losing his darts Tour Card.
Jackpot is known as one of the elite players in darts – recognized for his exceptionally smooth throwing style – and he is highly regarded by his fellow players.
2
2
Nevertheless, Lewis has not participated in a televised event since the UK Open in March 2023 and has been largely missing from weekly competitions.
He is also excluded from the 96-player roster for the upcoming PDC World Darts Championship, which starts next Sunday at Ally Pally.
Owing to personal difficulties, he has found it hard to maintain his focus and dedication to the sport, leading to his transition from professional player status in January.
As a two-time world darts champion and four-time World Cup winner alongside partner Phil Taylor, some might argue that he deserves special consideration for the 2025 season.
However, Barry Hearn, a prominent sports promoter, has emphasized that Lewis, 39, must participate in Q School just like every other player, with no exceptions made.
A qualifying event, featuring hundreds of aspiring amateurs looking to achieve the success of Luke Littler or Luke Humphries, will be held at Milton Keynes’ Arena MK from January 6-12.
When asked about the possibility of any exceptions given the situation, Hearn, 76, told SunSport: “Absolutely none. Nor should there be.
“It’s not about what he did in the past – it’s about what he can prove now.
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
“Does he need to attend Q School? Yes. We would gladly welcome him back.
“He’s a decent guy and a skilled player. He has navigated his personal challenges.
Two-time world darts champion confirms return after more than a year away to spend time with his family
“However, he needs to face these challenges.
“These issues are not our concerns; they belong to him, and it is his responsibility to resolve them.”
The Barry Hearn Show is available across all podcast platforms, with exclusive video episodes on Spotify.
Darts World Championship full draw
Second round draw (seeded vs first-round winner)
- Luke Humphries vs Thibault Tricole or Joe Comito
- Raymond van Barneveld vs Nick Kenny or Stowe Buntz
- James Wade vs Jermaine Wattimena or Stefan Bellmont
- Peter Wright vs Wesley Plaisier or Ryusei Azemoto
- Stephen Bunting vs Alan Soutar or Kai Gotthardt
- Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Madars Ramza or Christian Kist
- Damon Heta vs Connor Scutt or Ben Robb
- Mike De Decker vs Luke Woodhouse or Lourence Ilagan
- Luke Littler vs Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock
- Ritchie Edhouse vs Ian White or Sandro Eric Sosing
- Danny Noppert vs Ryan Joyce or Darius Labanauskas
- Ryan Searle vs Mensur Suljovic or Matt Campbell
- Rob Cross vs Scott Williams or Niko Springer
- Gian van Veen vs Ricardo Pietreczko or Xiaochen Zong
- Nathan Aspinall vs Cameron Menzies or Leonard Gates
- Andrew Gilding vs Martin Lukeman or Nitin Kumar
- Michael Smith vs Kevin Doets or Noa-Lynn van Leuven
- Krzysztof Ratajski vs Richard Veenstra or Alexis Toylo
- Chris Dobey vs Stephen Burton or Alexander Merkx
- Josh Rock vs Karel Sedlacek or Rhys Griffin
- Jonny Clayton vs Mickey Mansell or Tomoya Goto
- Daryl Gurney vs Florian Hempel or Jeffrey de Zwaan
- Gerwyn Price vs Kim Huybrechts or Keane Barry
- Joe Cullen vs Wessel Nijman or Cameron Carolissen
- Michael van Gerwen vs James Hurrell or Jim Long
- Brendan Dolan vs Chris Landman or Lok Yin Lee
- Gary Anderson vs Jeffrey de Graaf or Rashad Sweeting
- Ross Smith vs Jim Williams or Paolo Nebrida
- Dave Chisnall vs Ricky Evans or Gordon Mathers
- Gabriel Clemens vs Niels Zonneveld or Robert Owen
- Dimitri Van den Bergh vs William O’Connor or Dylan Slevin
- Martin Schindler vs Callan Rydz or Romeo Grbavac
